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That isn’t the usual meaning. Anyway take your pick - - P&O have messed up the crewing of Azura and not the other ships; or - There is an issue caused by the schedule of cruises that Azura is running that doesn’t impact the other ships which are not doing those month on end loops from Malta.

But the prices are not even a fraction that Premier Inn charge! Deduct the cost of the flights from my current cruise to the Canary Islands and they are charging £70 per night for a couple - AND that includes three or more meals a day - so deduct the cost of those and it would be like Premier Inn paying you to stay!

A few extracts from the current menus -

It certainly isn’t. There were men in the Planet Bar last night just wearing an open collar shirt with trousers, no jacket or tie - and no issue at all with the staff on the door or getting served. But… they were smart open collar shirts, and frankly looked a lot more presentable than many wearing old badly fitting DJs.

They said they are trying, but they can only switch those crew members with the visas and that they had the length of contract left that made it worthwhile. However since you put the word visa in inverted commas then you have clearly already made up your mind about this.

Good. Nor me, but primarily because I wouldn’t dream of bringing a jumper of any sort on a fly-cruise to the Canary Islands.

So time then to abandon all dress restrictions, formal nights, etc. Although having been on an NCL ship in their ‘posh’ French restaurant sat next to people who thought that wearing baseball caps, ‘wife-beater’ vests, and shorts, as ‘smart-casual’ on an evening then I am not sure it is a good idea.

Then perhaps they have been better at sorting out visas for their crew. The issue isn’t that it is impossible, just more restrictive.

As an observation from Azura’s formal night last night (and the ‘proper’ one not the silly Christmas jumper one) is that ties now seem to be optional as no challenge going into the MDR, Planet Bar, or the Blue Bar simply wearing a jacket - no questions at all from the host on the restaurant desk or the ‘bouncers’ on the bar doors.

I can post some later once I get back onboard Azura, but the prices do seem to have snuck up a bit recently - and the impact it seems to have had is fewer people in the Planet Bar drinking than in the past but no difference in Brodies where it is still rammed full.

Malta and Greece was what I was told. And so do NCL or RC have a ship doing ‘loop the loops’ for months on end from Greece?

Do they have a ship doing the same ‘loop the loop’ from Malta for months on end?

After I expressed surprise to reasonably senior hotel management - hotel management not restaurant management - about the lack number of people eating in the venues and that they were fully booked, that was the explanation offered. I could tell you their rank, but I won’t, but it wasn’t anyone on reception or running the restaurants.

As I said at the start - there is apparently an issue with visas for crew for the Malta and Greece season, as they are now more restrictive since the UK did what the UK did - hence the issue being specific to Azura.

As before, your palate your choice, but most people will choose something that compliments their food.

Which is why some people take an alternative approach - and that isn’t self disembarkation.

Some, not all. In my experience most people exercise some variance and would not for example drink a big bold robust red with a delicate dish or a light sensitive delicate white with a big lump of red meat.

Fair enough. Your palate your choice, but most people are not like that.

Most do, some don’t, and I have never seen security called to restrain people from leaving before they are scheduled to do so - at the end of the day they want you gone to receive the new batch.

That only works if you eat the same style of thing every night.

It is if you are sensible! Back in the days of wine waiters a note slipped with the card on day one ensured you never had to wait, and at hotels a tip to the pool staff on day one always gets you loungers in prime positions without needing to disturb yourself from bed.

Of course they should… Commercial suicide. And of course most passengers who can’t book think they have been unlucky and the venues are running at full capacity, and unless you actually walk into the Glass House to get a drink you wouldn’t realise the truth.

But that’s no good for those you can’t book, or if you fancy doing something spontaneously. As for it being cheaper - not really.

That’s booking before embarking. Just wait to see what availability there is for the Glass House or any other venues you haven’t pre-booked when you board - there will be none.

For those of you with cruises booked on Azura over the coming months and want to eat in Epicurian, Sindhu, The Beach House, or Glass House all I can say is ‘good luck’ - and if you are on a one week cruise then ‘sorry but no chance’. All the venues are running at a fraction of the normal capacity because of a lack of back of house staff - and apparently it is likely to get worse when Azura moves to its summer season around the med because of the more stringent visa requirements for staff imposed by Malta and Greece since… For those on two week cruises and arriving on a Friday there is a possibility of grabbing slots in the second week in the restaurants that can’t be booked before embarking (i.e. virtually all of them), but damn all chance in the first because those were booked the previous week by those on two week cruises. For those arriving on a Saturday they will be picking up the leftovers from the Friday crowd. And so those on one week cruises - no chance.